Stopper for containers



Jan. 22, 1952 E. l. VEREL 2,583,162

STOPPER FOR CONTAINERS Filed July 27, 1950 In enior:

Wfhw M M Attorneys Patented Jan. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICESTOPPER FOR CONTAINERS Evelyn I. Vrel, Stirling, Scotland ApplicationJuly 27, 1950, Serial No. 176,102

3 Claims.

This invention relates to stoppers for containers.

An object of the invention is to provide a stopper for a container,especially a container for gaseous liquids such as aerated waters, inwhich the pressure of the gas assists in maintaining the stopper firmlyin position.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a stopper in accordance withthe invention, and inserted in the neck of a container.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stopper,

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the stopper,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the stopper, and

Fig. 5 is a side view of the stopper inserted in a bottle neck.

Referring to the drawing, the stopper A is made of rubber or othersuitable resilient material, and consists of a crown portion I, a skirtportion 2, a body portion 3 and a peripheral flange por tion 4, all ofsaid portions being formed as an integral unit. The body 3 extends belowthe skirt 2 and the flange 4 which is relatively thin extends outwardsso that it lies partially below wall of the skirt 2. The projecting areaof the flange 4 is equal to the gross area of the plug body 3 so thatwhen pressure conditions exist within the container, equal forces act onthe body 3 and on the flange 4.

The neck of the container B is stepped inwards at right angles and thenupwards so as to form the inner and outer flat surfaces at 5 and 6. Whenthe stopper is inserted in the neck, the flange 4 engages the flat 5 andis pushed tightly against same by the gas pressure within the container,while the base of the flange rests firmly on the flat 6. The upwardlystepped portion of the neck, of course, fills the annular space be tweenthe body 3 and skirt 2. The outer peripheral surface of the head andskirt of the stopper is aligned with the outer surface of the containerB as shown in Fig. 1, and an outwardly projecting peripheral bead I isprovided integral with the skirt 2 so that the stopper may be morefirmly gripped or levered for withdrawal. The body 3 has an axialaperture 8 which facilitates insertion of the body and flange 4 into thebottle neck.

The relative thinness and flexibility of the flange 4 permits easyinsertion and, when inserted, allows it to be forced firmly against theflat 5 by the gas pressure within the container, so that the stoppertightly seals the container neck. The stopper can be withdrawn bypulling or pushing the bead 1 upwards, and the lower surface of theflange 4 is tapered upwards and outwards so as to increase theflexibility of the flange.

It will be understood that the distance between the flange 4 and thebase of the skirt 2 is substantially equal to the thickness of thecontainer between the flats 5 and 6, so that the stepped portion of theneck is firmly gripped.

The container may be a bottle, jar or metal can, and in order to preventunauthorised re moval of the stopper from a filled container, anexternal seal may be applied in any convenient manner.

It will be noted that the contacting surface areas of the flange 4 andthe flat 5 are relatively large so that an efiective gripping orpressure surface is provided.

I claim:

1. A stopper for a container, made as an integral unit from resilientmaterial and comprising a plug-like body, a laterally extending crownthereon having a peripheral skirt surrounding a portion of the length ofthe body and laterally spaced therefrom, and at the end of the bodyremote from the crown a laterally projecting flexible peripheral flange,the projecting area of said flange being at least substantially equal tothe area of the end of the main plug body remote from the crown.

2. A stopper according to claim 1 in which the lower surface of theflange is tapered outwards and upwards so that the flexibility of theflange and the ease of insertion of the stopper into the container areincreased.

3. In combination, a container for gaseous liquids and a stoppertherefor, the container having a neck which is stepped inwardlysubstantially normally to the neck axis and upwardly substantiallyparallel to the neck axis, and the stopper being made as an integralunit from resilient material and comprising a plug-like body, alaterally extending crown thereon having a peripheral skirt surroundinga portion of the length of the body and laterally spaced therefrom by anannular recess, and at the end of the body remote from the crown alaterally projecting flexible peripheral flange, the projecting area ofsaid flange being at least substantially equal to the area of the end ofthe main plug body remote from the crown, the arrangement being suchthat when the stopper is inserted into the neck of the container thebody plugs the neck, the said flange engages the inner surface of theinwardly stepped portion of the neck, the upwardly stepped portion fitsinto said annular recess in the stopper, and the base of the skirtengages on top of the said inwardly stepped portion v of the neck sothat the stopper tightly seals the the container and when conditions ofpressure exist within the container the fluid pressure forces the flangetightly against the inward step.

EVELYN I. VEREL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Stutz May 27, 1902 Brown Apr. 28,1903 Blakeslee Nov. 2, 1915 Bellows June 14, 1932 Pitar et al. May 9,1939 Takiguchi Apr. 9, 1940

